Alright people, what do you use and if you've used something before it, what made you switch and what do you feel are the advantages of your new setup?

I still use my trusty old Ensoniq TS10 to sequence damn near everything (BTW, it is the same as ASR10 but w/out the sampler)


peace!

I wish there was a way I could vote for two catagories. I use the MPC 4000 sequencer but I lock that to DP4. Sometimes I'll dump the midi from the MPC into DP but usually keep it virtual until tracking.

What made you pick the 4000 over the older units? I've never used a 4000 myself but I've always been curious.

I didn't get into the MPC "movement" until the first MPC 2000 came out. I wase't into sequencing back then. At that time I used a DR-660, Yamaha CS1x and a 4-Track and had just enrolled in Full Sail. I was against the whole concept of the MPC and misjudged it as a "backpacker" tool.

When I finally bought my first MPC I couldn't see going back and trying the 60 or 3000. As for the 4000, the main reason I bought it was because of the USB connection, internal hard drive and the 512MB of ram. I used to try and achieve this same setup by using the 2000 with the Akai S6000 but what a pain in the ass.

If the new MPC2000XL had come with USB I would have gotten that unit instead. I love being able to transfer samples, drums, whatever, back and forth with out dealing with SCSI. However, now that I've used the 4000 for sometime now, I couldn't see using anything else. It really is a whole different world from the 2000 series.

Sure there are similarities, but the 96k sampling engine, all the extras and the orginal way songs are laid out, there just is no substitution, in my opinion. I think you should definatley give it a try but understand that it's not a bigger 2000. It's really a whole new beast that will open up avenues of creativity you may never have dreamed of on any other model.

Other opinions may vary but these are mine.

I wish I could choose 2 as well, I love my trusty old 4000 but lately reason has been holding me down, and have been making quite a few albums....

Another chime in here for the MPC4000- I was using an ASQ10 (MPC60 w/o the sampler) and, when I had the chance to try out a MPC2000 for sequencing, I wasn't impressed. The ASQ10 felt better. The 4000 came along and it does feel as good as the ASQ10 and is much more luxurious to use. It's really a different vibe than the 2000, much deeper.

Caveat- I make electronic music, not Hip-Hop, but I do go into Trip-Hop and Dub, so I think my comments may still be of use.

BTW how many of you hip-hoppers cross over into Techno, dub, ambient and so on?

i use an atari 1040st running notator or master tracks for sequencing. i sample to a couple of akai s3000xl samplers. synth duties are picked up by a nord lead, juno, dsi evolver, poly800, roland string synth, and microkorg. throw in a few old drum machines, add a copious amount of analog delay and spring reverb, and voila - dubtastic delights.

f.

Just give me Cubase with a bunch of VST instruments, my drum samples, and a fast computer and throw everything else out the window....

i love the sequencer on the roland xp-60
and i really use the appregios but when i do, the ones featured come in perfect

I HATE SEQUENCING ON A COMPUTER...but i do it anyway

thumbsup

Lately, I've been placing samples in Ptools HD's grid. I do use a MPC2kXL and I'm thinking of getting my own 4k (I've used them in studios)

I just cant justfify paying for a 4k. I can place samples in the grid and it sounds better than any machine I've heard. I can sequence modules on my 2k and it's working. I used to want a 4k, but now I dont know.

I wouldnt mind having ADat outs and feeding ptools, with the USB for transfering samples from the computer,

This was my original plan, but when I went to HD and decided on an Apogee interface, I gave up having adat ins.

Dont know that I need a 4k and I only buy what i need. (Hell I'll probably eventually get one and sell my 2k)

same with me and Sonar!

I use a similar technique combined with others. Do you use any sort of groove templates, if not how do you make it swing, or behind the beat if you need it to be?

if i'm looping say 16 bars of a midi loop, i'll edit each note by hand to get the right feel, then copy and paste it....i only do that when i don't have much control over attack times.

I start out in grid mode, but end up moving some things off the grid. My favorite drumachine was the Roland R8. IT had the best feel of any drum machine. I try to emulate the same thing in ptools. Even MPCs dont feel as good as an R8. I wish there was a way to place something in protools and then tap on the mouse or a keyboard key and trigger it without having to use a sampler.


I guess it would be using ptools as a sampler

Are folks using the MPC driving other modules (other samplers, keys, whatever) with it?

Peece,
T. Tauri

I use Cubase SX for the bulk of my midi work.

If i am just mixing from audio or stems I almost always use Pro tools LE for that as i am much quicker doing it that way.

I've been using DP to sequence all of my synths & crap up until a few weeks ago when i decided to try the mpc1000 for midi.

I must admit, I do dig not having to stare at the screen & mess with the mouse. The only pain in the ass is the patch management but that can be worked around by saving the mix or performance on the synths.

I dig working both ways for now, depending on my mood. DP & MPC for both midi and audio. I would like a 4000 for the adat & sync tho. The 1000 is cool since it's nice & portable.

D

Cubase SX

I program my drums directly on to the grid in SX. I find this gives me flexibility and a quick transistion to the mixing stage. I'll sometimes move the hits around by ear to make it less rigid (talking milliseconds here). But honestly, there are times I like the sound of things exactly on beat.

Other times I'll find a loop I like the feel of, throw it in the sequencer, then match up the BDs and SNs, then the rest of the perc. I use different drum hits and I make sure it's all exactly sample accurate. I can then study the off beat hits of the loop, and really try to understand what makes it "groove". I can then delete the loop and be left with a basic drum loop that still has the feel of the original loop. SX has groove template functions you can use to save the groove of the drum loop. You can also get this info into the midi editor so your external synths "lock" into the rhythm straight away. I find this process much more time consuming and tedious (and sometimes impossible) when using an hardware sequencer.

Cubase VST32 or an Alesis MMT-8 depending on the situation.

i've been using a lot of vsti's as of late.
dont really have a need for an mpc anymore and i shape sounds so quick with plugins that i really dont care about workstations anymore though i will be getting a Fantom G

logic all the way here, just got rid of the 4k. i work way faster itb and have way more flexibility over my sounds and automation while i'm composing.

I love the workflow of Fruty Loops to program Drums and get a rough layout of the Song. Then Mix in Nuendo.

I use an MPC1000 to sequence my Alesis Fusion and my friends Micron. The only thing I've really used before was a Roland MC303 at one point and an Amiga500 + Bars and pipes when I was in high school.




I play live hip-hop/dance music. I figure I'll make whatever I want. I would love to have my MPC full of beats of all sorts to give the crowd what they want.


MPC1000 JJos + Alesis Fusion is a scary good combo for under 2 grand. The only real limitation is the number of MIDI tracks and if you have the memory upgrade in the Fusion/MPC.


I can honestly say that the MPC1000 w/JJos and Fusion blows the doors off of any Triton/Fantom/Motif. And for way less money.